Mystifying Ruling on Porter Ranch

Recent events regarding the North Valley development at Porter Ranch leave me mystified.

The Planning Commission was disqualified as a group based on a very technical ruling against one member. This gave authority to the Board of Referred Powers, comprised of five council members who have collectively received almost $100,000 ($50,000 to the chairman alone) from Porter Ranch developers. A somewhat larger conflict, as I see it, yet they were not disqualified. No wonder several members were uncomfortable hearing and then approving this plan. Next will be the Planning and Environmental Committee, headed by, you guessed it, the same chairman.

This system and this plan must be scrutinized and reworked, now. How is it that when other commercial property is being zoned down, Porter Ranch is being zoned up 40 times? The City Council is our last line of defense.